We offer our electropolishing service direct from our Ormeau factory, located on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

Our in-house electropolishing facility incorporates an electropolishing bath that is 4 meters long x 950mm wide x 1.7 meters deep that is set-up for electropolishing stainless steel only.

If you require stainless steel items longer than 4 meters to be electropolished we can “double dip”.  When this occurs and there is an overlap on the material that in-turn gets polished on two occasions, there may be a slightly shinier effect on this location.

Please Note: We only electropolish stainless steel, including 316.

Electropolishing is the reverse of electroplating.

During electropolishing, metal is removed ion by ion from the surface of the stainless steel object. Electropolishing is most advantageous when replacing traditional mechanical finishing such as grinding, milling, blasting, and buffing as the final finish. However, depending on the condition of the stainless surface these traditional methods are often required prior to electropolishing in order to gain a better electropolished finish.

During electropolishing stainless steel is immersed in an electrolyte solution and subjected to a direct electrical current. The object is maintained anodic, with the cathodic connection being made to a nearby metal conductor. The stainless being electropolished becomes sacrificial while the electric current removes and smooths its surface.

Smoothness of the metal surface is a primary and very advantageous effect of electropolishing.

During the process, a film of varying thickness covers the surfaces of the metal. This film is thickest over micro-depressions and thinnest over micro-projections. Electrical resistance is at a minimum wherever the film is thinnest, resulting in the greatest rate of metallic dissolution. Electropolishing selectively removes microscopic high points or “peaks” much faster than the corresponding rate of attack on the corresponding micro-depressions or “valleys.”

Better Physical Appearance:

• No fine directional lines from abrasive polishing
• Excellent light reflection and depth of clarity
• Bright, smooth polish; uniform shaped parts

Better Corrosion Protection:

Electropolishing yields maximum tarnish and corrosion resistance in many metals and alloys. Stainless steel contains metallic and non-metallic inclusions, which are unavoidably included during manufacture. Mechanical polishing not only fails to remove inclusions, but also tends to push them further into the surface and even increase them by further pick-up of abrasive materials. These inclusions eventually can become points of corrosion

 Ease of Cleaning:

• Substantially reduces product contamination and adhesion due to the microscopic smoothness of an electropolished surface (much like a glass surface)
• Decreases cleaning time. Electropolished surfaces are much easier to clean than a surface that has not been electropolished
• Improves sterilisation and maintenance of hygienically clean surfaces for food, drug, beverage and chemical processing equipment
• Provides the best passivation of stainless steel
• Removes cold-worked metal oxides

Special Effects:

• Simultaneously deburrs sharp edges as it polishes. This is at the microscopic level. Sheet metal still need to be manually deburred before Electropolishing
• Polishes areas inaccessible by other methods
• Reveals flaws in metal surfaces undetectable by other means. Electropolishing is one of the most effective inspection tools for inspecting metal surfaces

Enhanced Mechanical Properties:

• Less friction and surface drag
• Increased production in process equipment. Electropolishing greatly reduces fouling, plugging, scaling and product build-up
• Surface retains the true grain structure and properties of the bulk metal
• Fatigue strength is not reduced. Electropolishing allows the true fatigue strength of a part to be accurately determined
• Higher fatigue strength can be promoted by particle-blasting the surface to reintroduce compressive stress without losing electropolishing’s advantages
• Stress-relieving of the surface

Most metals can be electropolished successfully, but the best results are obtained with metals with fine grain boundaries that are free of non-metallic Inclusions and seams. Those metals having a high content of silicon, lead or sulphur are usually difficult.

Stainless steel is the most frequently electropolished alloy and the only material that we electropolish.

Wrought alloys will generally have a better finish than castings, which polish to a bright finish but not to the same brightness or smoothness.

Other commercially electropolished metals can include:

 (Please note Southern Stainless only electropolish stainless steel)

• Low and High Carbon Steels
• High Temperature Alloys
• Aluminium
• Titanium
• Copper
• Brass
• Bronze
• Leaded Steel (Low-Lead)
• Nickel Silver
• Beryllium Copper
• Silver and Gold

It is not common for many of the above metals to be electropolished as set up costs and the need to perform in polishing in large batched can be extremely costly.

We offer an in-house electropolishing facility, which incorporates an electropolishing bath that is 4m long x 950mm wide x 1.7m deep that is set-up for electropolishing stainless steel only.

If you require stainless steel items longer than 4 meters to be electropolished we are able to “double dip”.  When this occurs and there is an overlap on the material that in-turn get polished on two occasions there may be a slightly shinier effect on this location.